have a good one. see you back here tomorrow. >> this is "the bill press show."

[ ♪ theme ♪ ] >> this is the stephanie miller show and it's not stephanie miller. 100% less stephanie. we have hal sparks. >> hal: i know! it is amazing. i'm so excited by the way to actually be able to speak before my theme song. it happens so rarely. we have the lovely and talented jacki schechner who is not going to be doing our news breaks but interjecting throughout the entire show. >> cool. >> hal: elbowing us out of the way with facts and figures and a

beautiful figure at that i might add. >> i was going to ask which hour i get to hump halibut apparently we get to hump him all three hours. we've all been traveling. >> t-bone, we need some talc in here stat. major chafing on the hump days with hal. chris and jim will be with us. chris will be scrolling through adult sites the entire show as normal. >> get a load of that. whoa! >> hal: now let's go to the news with jacki schechner. on that note. >> good morning. secretary of state clinton will testify today before the senate foreign relations committee about the september 11th attack on our consulate in benghazi that killed cons late chris stevens and three other americans. senator rubio will be among those questioning her. and any exchange between the two could make for an interesting dynamic. senator rubio is among the contenders for a 2016 white

house bid. secretary clinton is a favorite on the democratic side. blame was laid on the state department for systemic failures and deficiencies in management that resulted in grossly inadequate protections for our facilities abroad. secretary clinton already has taken responsibility for the department she oversees and democrats on the committee say the goal now is to figure out how best to protect our diplomatic outposts. also on the house side, a vote to increase the debt limit for three months. it comes with a stipulation that both chambers pass a budget in the next four months or both chambers go without pay. i'm not sure this is a threat the american people would mind so much. senator chuck schumer has said the senate is working on a budget but the republicans won't like it because it includes tax increases. they will talk about a short term solution. it is a change from before. beyond that, it remains to be seen what common ground, if any we can find between the two sides. house speaker boehner wants to

balance the budge net ten years but doing that would take massive spending cuts that democrats won't go for. we're back after the break. coming on to me all the time now. (vo) she gets the comedians laughing and the thinkers thinking. >>ok, so there's wiggle room in the ten commandments, that's what you're saying. you would rather deal with ahmadinejad than me. >>absolutely. >> and so would mitt romney. (vo) she's joy behar. >>and the best part is that current will let me say anything. what the hell were they thinking?

>> announcer: ladies and gentlemen, it's "the stephanie miller show." ♪ i'm walkin' on sunshine ♪ ♪ i'm walkin' on sunshine ♪ ♪ and it's time to feel good ♪ ♪ hey, all right now ♪ ♪ and it's time to feel good ♪ >> hal: welcome to "the stephanie miller show." i'm hal sparks, of course filling in for a -- i guess one day and a half vacationing stephanie as she goes to see her mother. who turns 90 years old.

>> i think she turned 90 yesterday. >> hal: at that point, does it really matter? you can't mince words when you're 90. >> i turned 90 when the trees were brown. when the hay was being pulled in off the fields. you've been around so long, you're talking lunar cycles. >> by the way we need to do this. >> stephi. >> stephanie: what's that heavy breathing i hear? why, could it be? >> hump days with hal sparks. >> yes yes! >> and we need to do this. ♪ >> his is so much sexier than mine. ♪ come on, get jacki ♪ >> hal: i actually, for anybody who was old enough to have a par tridge familyish crush, was it susan dey?

>> she went on to be on l.a. law. >> turns out to be a sexy song. see what i mean? >> i would have worn my bell-bottoms if i had known. >> hal: we're on the radio and even the cameras from current can't see below so make it up. >> i have bell-bottoms on. >> it is the theatre of the pants. >> it is not pants-free friday yet. >> hal: that doesn't matter. with jim you don't know. it is a crapshoot. will he have pants today or not? >> i forgot. >> hal: sometimes i'll call in and chris, is it a pants day. he'll go nope. i'll have to pay whoever is in the car with me $5. >> hosen day. >> hal: speaking of later hosen, no, i was leading -- the no pants area, it was just we all had to get slightly dressed up this weekend because we all had balls. >> even jacki.

>> jacki and i had balls. >> i did not have balls this weekend. >> no balls. >> didn't want to wear a tux. >> okay. i don't have a tux. >> you can rent a tux. >> i didn't want to travel with a tux. >> you can rent a tux. did you not go to prom? >> it took a month to fit him for a tux. >> have to bring in extra shoulder fabric and create enormous -- instead of taking it in, take it out a little bit. it would look like jamie gumm's neighbor's house. >> i got that reference. that was silence of the lambs. >> on the way over to d.c., i was sitting next to this enormous woman. i thought it would be better on the flight back. then i was sitting next to chris. there's popeye. >> i gave you plenty of room. >> did he, actually. he had to because quite frankly you take up a decent amount of space, young man. the two of you were hilarious next to each other. i walked by them on the plane. >> were they elbowing even

other? >> it was like brothers. get off me! no! that's my armrest! >> i had to eat my lunch like this. >> like a t-rex. >> like a tyrannosaurus using chopsticks. >> you had a middle seat? >> oh, that's unfortunate. there should be a law against that. >> that's what you get for not having balls. >> tiny man next to me in the aisle seat. please let me have the aisle seat! i need it! >> hal: i do what i call punk first class. i highly recommend this to everybody. if you are -- especially if you're physically spelt like myself to fit normally, bring your own movie in the form of an ipad or laptop or something like that. get your own food in the airport or even bring it from home if you choose to. >> bring it.

>> hal: bring your own little blanket. if you need a pillow, you have your own little nest. when i traveled overseas, i spent $3,000 for a plane ticket, save the money. spend it where you're going. you can have a whole day of spaing and have tons of money left over. it makes no sense. >> you don't spend $10 on a couple of movies, put it on your ipad. >> you get to keep them. unlike the ones on the movie that your cart swipe never works. >> it doesn't work. >> well, can i -- can you try it? i'll go up-front. you know what? i just gave you the movie. i don't want to hear from you anymore. >> gte airphone. >> i'm calling from you the plane. it's $45 a second. >> i've never seen anybody use those things. >> i've used them. >> why? was there an air emergency? >> they've taken them out. >> this was in -- whatever, 2002 probably the last time i used

one because now actually, if you're in a situation, you would just have your ipad and you would be able -- i've been able to either skype or face time -- >> our flight yesterday -- yeah, let's just say an airline that runs with shunited doesn't feature wi-fi. >> it is so bizarre. >> do you have a butter churn? how do you make the food? >> a major east to west route from d.c. to los angeles, you don't have wi-fi? >> you do realize these are rich people problems. >> first world problems. >> absolutely. they should be. that's the whole point of actually emvating your society past a certain point. we're a beacon to the rest of the world. >> i was shocked there were no restrooms. i had to climb out on the wing and squat. >> there are no chickens on the plane. >> you're flying from the middle of pennsylvania to upstate michigan into the upper -- and

people with crates of chickens, that's fine. >> we don't normally fly but they won't allow us to have our wagons on the open highways. >> fair enough. >> hal: we of course had the sexy liberal show. >> so much fun! >> hal: dana in maryland was with us. dana, are you there? >> caller: yes, i am. >> hal: how was it? >> caller: how are you? >> hal: i'm spectacular. >> caller: how are you guys doing? >> hal: we're a little tired. we came in last night. >> caller: first, i want to stay just thank you, thank you, thank you and it was so cool to meet you guys. it was amazing. and my best friend bought us front row seats and she surprised me and it was awesome. you guys were hilarious. and it was great to meet everybody. hal, steph mentioned you were with like-minded people. it is so refreshing. sitting in a restaurant with rocky mountain mike and sue from

ann arbor and all of the chatters that i chat with every day. >> and that we're chatting during the show. >> hal: social chattering. >> caller: we do. we talk to steph through the chat. she told me to be quiet too. i deserved it. >> hal: i saw that part. >> caller: i told my best friend i'm not sure they're going to know who i am. john did his tea bagger thing and i raised my hand. >> didn't you stand up and said you take pride in your -- oh! >> he's like that's you. >> hal: that's why he invited you backstage. >> caller: it was hilarious. my best friend said i'll bet their back stage going that must be dana from maryland. she's a tea bagger. that's it. >> hal: thank you so much, dana. >> caller: wait, wait, one more thing though. my topic i wanted to talk about was abortion. >> oh! >> caller: rachel, i didn't know

the small little legislative laws like the woman has to listen to the tape of the heart beat. >> oh, yeah. >> caller: tape her reaction, her physical reaction. and i wanted to ask you hal smalltown kid, how do you deal with that? >> hal: you know, before roe v. wade and before it was a protected right in this country a lot of women handled this quite frankly like patrick swayze's dance partner in dirty dancing. through a shady doctor or no doctor at all. >> caller: but they did it on the kitchen table. >> hal: exactly. or well people who could pretend they didn't have to do these kind of things would send their daughter to visit a cousin and she would come back without the child anymore. >> caller: there's one clinic in each of these four states and some women have to drive five hours. they have to wait 72 hours and drive back. it is disgusting. >> hal: absolutely.

>> caller: i love you guys. >> love you too, dana. thanks for coming on saturday. >> hal: you know, that's been the drip, drip of legislaturewise across this country. and unfortunately, we were talking a lot about this about the fact that the focal point was on the president because of the inauguration and this idea that you know, he's our primary representative. i was not comfortable -- i'm never using the word leader because i don't feel as a human being i need one. our primary representative. >> that's fair enough. >> hal: even our lead representative. if aliens landed, i wouldn't go take me to your leader. i kind of pick my own. >> the dude in charge. >> hal: if you want to talk to somebody who knows where the military stuff is, he's over there. in this case, there's so much focus on the president. especially in terms of how progressives view him. that the republicans in the house have gotten away with everything even though they have a bad rating, it doesn't affect

their chance of being re-elected. unfortunately, they have been stacking in state legislatures and in the house of representatives, all of these anti-choice laws that are every egregious wiggle they can come in. none of them, by the way would stand up against roe v. wade because there are so many price of concerns in the fetal heart beat bill. they're adding things like she has to be taped listening to it. the fact she's in the office being scrutinized or filmed while she's getting a medical procedure or -- >> it is a violation of privacy. >> hal: it is absurd. >> they do things even so much as -- i don't know if it's law necessarily or if it's just the doctor's preference to find out how far along the woman is but they'll have you get a sonogram and that can be traumatic. >> yeah. >> just making that decision, having to see what is growing at that moment can be traumatic for a woman.

unless you're in that position, it is inappropriate for someone to make that change on your behalf. >> hal: i believe that to be the goal. that make the woman uncomfortable is the entire point. >> that's the only point. >> hal: we'll be back right after this on "the stephanie miller show." stephanie is away but the mice will play. >> announcer: there's something funny going on in talk radio. it's "the stephanie miller show."

>>we tackle the big issues here in our nation's capital. >> stephanie miller. ♪ i am the warrior ♪ ♪ well, i am the warrior ♪

>> hal: welcome back to "the stephanie miller show." 1-800-steph-12 is our number. stephanie is with her mom who is turning 90 years old in the last 24 hours. >> yesterday, i believe it was. >> hal: like i said -- >> she gets to celebrate all month if she wants. >> absolutely. once you hit 90, actually every minute is a celebration. >> pretty much. >> hal: pretty amazing. right now secretary clinton is actually testifying on benghazi. >> our response from the state department. the libyan government. so i saw firsthand what ambassador pickering and former chairman mullen called "timely and exceptional coordination." no delays in decision-making no denials of support from washington or from our military and i want to echo the review board's praise for the valor and courage of our people on the ground especially the security professionals in benghazi and tripoli. the board said the response

saved american lives in real time and it did. the very next morning, i told the american people that heavily-armed militants assaulted our compound. and i vowed to bring them to justice. and i stood with president obama in the rose garden as he spoke of an act of terror. it's also important to recall that in that same period, we were seeing violent attacks on our embassies in cairo tunis khartoum as well as large protests outside many other posts where thousands of our diplomats served. >> she's doing good! >> i ordered a review around the world with particular scrutiny for high-threat posts. i asked the department of defense to join interagencies security assessment teams and to dispatch hundreds of additional marine security guards. i named the first deputy assistant secretary of state for high-threat posts so missions in dangerous places get the attention they need.

and we reached out to congress to help address physical vulnerabilities including risks from fire and to hire additional diplomatic security personnel. second, even as we took these steps, i hurried to appoint the accountability review board led by ambassador pickering and admiral mullen. so we could more fully understand from objective independent examination what went wrong and how to fix it. >> hal: this is -- the basis of the republican conspiracy theory around benghazi has -- varies from ludicrous and dismissive of reality to violently conspiratorial and almost -- aliens have taken over our military base level. the main one being that obama watched -- and i've seen this one floated on fox news. >> we've played it in right-wing world. obama sat there and watched it while it happened. >> hal: for seven hours.

didn't do anything. insisted on not doing anything. >> a, obama doesn't have time to watch anything for seven hours. >> hal: right. what they were trying to do was make it arguably bush's 9-11 mistake about saying i just saw a plane fly into the towers when he wouldn't have been able to see them fly into the towers because he was sitting in front of the school when he said it. that kind of thing which you know, is one of the fundamental pinnings of loose change and those things that point to the 9-11 conspiracies. the right, i think arguably is very upset. they don't have one of those situations. they also don't have a president who is going to make the same mistake that bill clinton made. so they want to find any needlepoint that they can find to get inside and try to make him look as corrupt as they are. quite frankly. >> she's doing so well today because she faked that illness a hand all of that time to prepare for today.

>> hal: for rehearsal. while they're pretending to do surgery on her skull. >> she was preparing. >> but you saw the right go after bill clinton for the monica lewinsky thing but his approval ratings shot up. so why are they trying to find something else to go after -- exactly. i don't understand that. don't they get history? >> hal: apparently not. don't we have a quote from mitch mcconnell about his -- this is his response to the president's inaugural address -- which is, by the way not the state of the union, not a presentation of policy or whatever but an overall view of the presidency from his point of view about what he has committed to over the next four years. this is -- which was all about equality. about equality protection. one of the primary tenants. this is what mitch mcconnell heard. >> the era of liberalism is back.

unabashedly far left of center inauguration speech certainly brings back memories of the democratic party of ages past. >> well then it is far left according to mitch mcconnell. >> hal: because everything he said is soundly within the populous. arguably -- >> it is what president obama ran on and won on! >> hal: absolutely. this is their idea that somehow the myth of the center right he also mentioned that later in the same statement was that the president is out of touch because clearly we're a center right country. he said actually it was interesting. the words were we still believe we're a center right country which is interesting because if you look at the polls at all in any legitimate way you don't -- that's not what you see. even in gay marriage, even amongst republicans even in

background checks, you're seeing the 70% of gun owners saying they're for universal background checks at gun shows and private sales. they have no problem with it whatsoever. it is soundly in that direction. if you ask mitch mcconnell what it was, he would probably tell you the opposite is true. 30% are for it and 70% are against it and vehemently so and believe their second amendment rights are taken away by that very act. >> we still believe we're in the 19th century. [ laughter ] >> it is taking him so long to walk to the 19th century because he's a turtle. >> i move more slowly when you're a reptile. >> hal: it's amazing -- they're racing ahead and wearing themselves out with nonsense. more of "the stephanie miller show." i'm hal sparks. jacki schechner is with us. we've got a lot of calls about the abortion issue that came up in the first segment. we'll talk about that when we come back.

guys that do reverse mortgage commercials? those types are coming on to me all the time now. (vo) she gets the comedians laughing and the thinkers thinking. >>ok, so there's wiggle room in the ten commandments, that's what you're saying. you would rather deal with ahmadinejad than me. >>absolutely. >> and so would mitt romney. (vo) she's joy behar. >>and the best part is that current will let me say anything. what the hell were they thinking?

>> just when i think you've said the stupidest thing ever, you keep talkin'! >> hal: welcome back to the "the stephanie miller show." on that note, in studio with us, keep singin' jim. i'm not going to interrupt you. i want to hear it unlike how it normally goes around here how you get shut down. that's not going to happen. >> the mooks have taken control. >> hal: it is a mook coup. i'm hal sparks. i'm cofilling in with the lovely and talented jacki schechner. >> multitasking here.

>> hal: chris and jim are in studio with us today and of course, recovering from their lack of balls this weekend. >> yes. >> didn't have any balls. >> hal: you of all people did not have any balls. >> i did not have any balls this weekend. >> hal: other than the normal amount. >> he usually has more balls than the rest of us. >> but i'm not a -- i'm not a ball goer. >> is that a technical term? >> i was ball hopping. >> hal: all right, all right! i went to the green ball, the ball for the washington -- >> there are no blue balls. >> apparently some balls were better than others. we had a really good time at the newseum for the green ball. >> hal: joe biden showed up and jacki stepped on my foot.

secret service was shuffling us out of the way. they're like please step back. i would but jacki schechner is standing on my foot. >> i stabbed him with a stiletto. >> oh, my god. >> roland texted my and said get back here quick it's vice president biden. >> they were shooing everybody back. hal couldn't move. you would expect to be able to bum rush a room with the second most powerful person in the world. secret service piece and you can talk into your wrist but i have a v.i.p. laminate from the green ball. >> i know how to dress. that got me in. >> jacki was backless. backless jacki. hard to get a picture with you and not feel your hand drift lower. >> you were in a tux. >> i tied my own bow tie.

>> he were very excited about that. >> did you know? >> i had known but i also youtubed it just to make sure -- because i didn't have time to mess it up. by the way, 1-800-steph-12 is our number. of course, right now secretary clinton is still testifying at the benghazi hearing. we have a lot of calls though about not only the inauguration but in the first segment dana from maryland called in because she had been at the sexy liberal show and brought up the abortion issue. >> 40th anniversary of roe v. wade. it is always appropriate but we're talking about it more because we just had the 40th anniversary. >> hal: absolutely. the president's mentioning of women's rights and equal pay especially in his inaugural address was an amazing step forward. >> everything about the address was amazing. >> hal: it was like whac-a-mole against the republican agenda. >> usually we're used to moderate, same old stuff but this was hard-hitting and left!

>> hal: interestingly enough, it was the one moment i will say that i kind of agreed with karl rowe on something. because karl rove's response to the inauguration was predictable. >> he put out this ad. crossroads put out this ad. >> the president's address the most liberal. he's delivered. i think the most liberal speech barack obama has given. >> much more radical than the speech he gave four years ago. >> this is clearly a president who is not running for re-election. >> unapologetically liberal. >> yea! >> karl rove put out the ad as a pejorative. >> they said the president was the biggest celebrity. all of the moments of really cool and really smart and funny. i thought that's an attack ad? it makes him look awesome. >> smart! >> the only place it is an

attack ad is -- >> at fox. >> and old white men. >> hal: i think there could have been a nice rebuttal, kind of an ad put out with the pretzel-oriented band-aid on his head and not opening the door right when he was trying to escape the press conference. quoting the who. messing that up. >> that dance. awkward. >> hal: that's actually been one of the -- in response to the speech, one of the consistent refrains and they've kind of put this up. this is a continuation of a their at this they're trying to push was that he's isolated. he lives in this kind of cocoon because that's where they live. the idea is the karl rove system is if you're going to lie call somebody a liar before you start doing it because then they go wait a minute! you just lied. then it becomes this it sounds 50/50, two people arguing about

who's lies. >> it is a strategy. >> hal: it is. absolutely. unfortunately, it is one that cnn often will pick up for you. you know, that's the goal. that's the idea. so if they're going to live in an insulated bubble where they don't listen to the polls and they're not aware of what the american people are interested in or want to accomplish in the next four years the first stage will be saying that the president lives in a bubble and bill o'reilly last night, that was a big chunk of his -- this guy's clearly isolated from the rest of the world and he's removed from people. he's not -- he's all -- they have a real hard time calling him intellectual. that's the vulcan aspect of this president is that they keep trying to float. doesn't jive with their -- but clearly, those people are inferior intellectually. that their viewership wants to see. the code doesn't match up with

what they're selling so it is really funny watching them trying to wiggle them together. it is like doc brown -- >> i want my president to be smarter than i am. >> hal: absolutely. the idea that -- bush -- >> i saw idocracy. it doesn't end well. >> bush was in bed by 9:30. that was a point of pride. what's required of being the president of the united states, i can be in bed by 9:30. >> obama had an afterparty at the white house. he was up until 4:00 a.m.! >> you go. >> i do two minute of news at the top of the hour and i stay up late. >> what am i saying exactly? >> hal: 4:00 a.m. call against a guy who's probably still awake. how can you make the point that he'll groggily answer the phone. p.s., the two guys we ran if you look at mccain, imagine

calling that man at 4:00 in the morning and asking him anything. seriously! ehh? who is this? click. >> get off my lawn. >> mr. president mr. president are you awake? we have an emergency. troops -- there is a nuclear submarine. >> i can't hear you. my goiter got in the way. >> hal: then mitt romney, if you take that picture of him pumping gas on the way to disneyland as a sign of how he handles stress -- >> oh, boy! >> he turns into a hobo. >> hal: hobo producers activate. form of a confused staggering man on the train. let's actually -- this is interesting, too. because while the inauguration was going -- let's go to sean in chicago. sean in chicago is aware of what the republicans were doing.

>> oh, that's right. go ahead sean. >> caller: hey, guys. hey, everybody. >> good morning. >> caller: i love you guys. you start my morning before work every day. >> we try. >> caller: i was piggybacking off what you said, hal. how we're not paying attention. we're paying so much attention to what the president's doing. the republicans in the states are really just really trying to mess up things for re-elections for any democrats for elections that are coming up any time soon in 2016. they, just yesterday, rachel maddow was showing how there in virginia, there is a 20/20 split between the representatives of the state and how they waited purposely for one of the -- >> hal: the lieutenant-governor to not be there so he couldn't break the tie. >> caller: one of the representatives went to the inauguration. >> hal: right.

20-19. >> caller: when i saw that on top of all of the other four states that are going through this, i said this is just absolutely horrendous. and what -- what can we do about it? i know we can protest. i know we can do -- contact politicians. what good would it do when the republicans run the house? >> hal: this is the first time i've seen the president -- a president that i'm aware of mention voting rights in their speech as well. and not just in the abstract you know like obviously it was mentioned during the time of the civil rights act and the voting changes that occurred then. but since then, we've heard no mention of the right to vote in this country being a protected right and the sanctity of that idea. i think the only thing -- first of all, we gotta remember, we vote every two years in this country. not every four. that needs to be the refrain from -- every time you talk

about an election, anybody within the sound of my voice needs to -- when they talk about voting or any of those things or what's going to happen in the next election, you're not talking about 2016. you're talking about 2014. those often matter more so because that's when they sneak these folks through. that's when purple districts turn red because people are look the other way or are too busy. thanks for the call. appreciate it. we'll be back right after this. more of "the stephanie miller show". celebrating her mom's 90th birthday. >> she'll be back tomorrow though. >> she will. >> i'm sorry. that's inappropriate. >> announcer: it's "the stephanie miller show."

desmond tutu said a quote that is one of my favorite quotes. "we are tied together in a web of humanity. i am a person only through you. i can only be a person only through you." that really resonates me and drives my work. the world is becoming an incredibly connected place. mobile phones are really driving that connection. at kiva, we run an internet marketplace. people can lend to other people for the purpose of starting a small business, going to school

or a variety of other good causes. you can go to kiva.org and you can see pictures and profiles of people from over sixty countries all across the world. you can lend them as little as $25. if they are successful, they will pay you back. dear rixi, you're a honduran immagrant. you're coming to the us, you have an idea to start, you know, a women's cosmetics store or a clothing store. you're going to need a lot of things, ya know, to pay the rent, permits inventory, advertising, marketing so that adds up quite a bit. you're going to need tens of thousands of dollars to start a small busines. there is ten million-plus people completely left out of the formal finical system. banks don't lend to people like that at all. there is a lot of opportunity to decrease unemployment, provide employment, provide economic opportunity and raise our

standard of living by investing in small business. our hearts are an incredibly powerful thing. good technology can help amplify this power and create an incredibly powerful force that can spread to every country in the world. these talking points, that the right have, about the "heavy hand of government" ... i want to have that conversation. really? you know i'd like to arm our viewers with the ability to argue with their conservative uncle joe over the dinner table.

♪ boom, boom, ac kalak kaboom boom ♪ ♪ boom, boom, ac kalak kaboom boom ♪ ♪ open the door, get on the floor, everybody does the dinosaur ♪ ♪ open the door, get on the floor, everybody does the dinosaur ♪ >> hal: okay, i did walk the dinosaur at the sexy liberal show in d.c. >> you did t-rex. >> hal: it is a cautionary tale. one you kind of have to see. even though that bit is on the album, it is only one that we repeat. >> it is the one that everybody asks for and everybody remembers it. >> hal: i get requests. >> you're playing the hits. like jumpin' jack flash. >> hal: i feel like a styx reunion. >> you have to play babe. >> hal: so romantic. it is, isn't it? we have tons of calls but i want

to go to keith in texas because this is an important part of what's coming up. this is -- instead of -- the news today is what the news is going to be. and you know, but let's go to keith in texas. hey, keith. >> caller: hey, great talking to you. i've got a very, very, very important issue that we need to respond to now! >> hal: right. >> caller: first thing i did this morning was call harry reid's office because i do not have a senator living in texas. >> hal: right. >> caller: i'm totally without representation if you get -- only way my congressman will talk to me is if i give him money. >> isn't that usually how most congressmen are? >> hal: there are a few of them -- >> paid by the word. >> caller: we've got to talk about filibuster reform. and this is a -- this is something that we're on a short us for a with. we've only got about two days -- about a day and a half to deal with it.

we can't compromise with mitch mcconnell. mitch mcconnell has lied to him and lied to him and lied to him. there is an old saying, fool me once, shame on me. fool me twice shame on me. well harry you're in that shame on me portion. >> hal: absolutely. it is a great point. this is something by the way that we can all take part in. >> that's right. >> hal: harry reid as the senate majority leader especially if you're a democrat or republican, progressive, he represents you. he's the spearhead for all senatorial business so you don't have to call your senator only. you can call your senator have them bug him and get his office, too. >> they have a direct line. >> hal: they can go i'm hearing from my folks and you're hearing from my folks. it is so important. >> that's right. harry reid spoke about this yesterday. >> i've had some positive meetings with senator mcconnell before the recess.

during the recess our staff has worked on this. we had another meeting today. i hope within the next 24 to 36 hours we can get something we agree on. if not we're going to move forward on what i think needs to be done. the caucus will support me on that. >> what kind of agreement is that? >> there you go. >> hal: that's it. as long as it involves a talking filibuster, i think the majority of people will be comfortable with the rest of it kind of falling -- that primary change because at a certain point this is the part i don't understand. maybe somebody can call in about this. 1-800-steph-12 is our number of course. by the way i'm hal sparks and jacki schechner and jim ward and chris lavoie and i are all trying to fill the giant gap left by steph being out for one single day. we're doing our best. >> it takes a village. >> hal: we're building our little -- we're like our gang. we're kind of putting this little wagon together and trying

to get it to roll down the hill. >> i'll be spanky. >> hal: yes you will. >> i heard that about you. >> hal: that's what you were doing instead going to balls this weekend. >> and drinking a bottle of vodka. >> hal: is that the rumor? >> that's the reality. >> is that what it takes to get a guy size your drunk? >> apparently. my friend jeff is a bartender. i went to his bar. >> airplane bottles. >> he kept putting drinks down in front of me. i kept drinking them. apparently i drink almost an entire bottle of sky vodka. >> hal: wow. it is d.c. so everything is watered down. >> i suppose. [ laughter ] >> hal: at a certain point they would need a jurassic park level of sedation to bring you down. shoot her! what was that? can i have another bottle of

water? that was vodka. oh, all right. >> that's fine. >> hal: in relations to this, let's go to john in pennsylvania. hey, john. are you there, john in pennsylvania? >> caller: yes hi. >> hal: hello. go ahead. >> caller: this is hal? >> hal: it is. your radio is up a little bit. i can hear it in the background. >> caller: okay. >> hal: fire away. >> caller: first of all, real quick, i just wanted to say i'm such a huge fan of yours. >> hal: thanks. >> caller: i'm a fan of your music, your comedy. i just want to tell you that -- >> i just like the way you wear your hair. >> we have a fan boy on the line >> caller: my question is i personally can't think of any other period in time where we've had a democratic president where republicans are just -- they're

stonewalling him on every issue. have we ever had a president -- i can't think of one -- >> hal: no. by the numbers absolutely not. if you look at any chart of the use of the filibuster, the use of anonymous holds and any kind of -- you know, using the 60 vote line, it is unprecedented to a percentage -- we're talking 200% hire than it's ever been. the charts are hilarious to look at if they weren't so sad. it used to be a methodology. the filibuster used to be part of the methodology to protect the minority from the majority. there is value in that. anybody who's been in the majority -- you know, knows that there's strength that comes with that that takes a level of responsibility that these guys often don't have. but if anybody's ever been in a minority position, which by the way, includes almost any kind of new social movement or any new technology, you're kind of --

>> caller: right -- >> hal: right now, wind and solar are overwhelmed by oil. no question about that. and there is a tyranny of majority in the tax breaks that the oil companies get and so there needs to be a protection in our representative government to make sure that those things don't get squashed simply because the old system is bigger and more entrenched. and we have that in social areas. we have that in several -- the filibuster was there to protect it. in "mr. smith goes to washington" -- thank you for the call. the line is noisy so i'm going to let you go. ezra klein hates that movie. the more he sees it, the more he hates it. >> there has never been a filibuster like that ever. >> hal: the closest one was bernie sanders actually who wrote a book on the floor. he did. he released his filibuster as a book. you know, it was so long. it wasn't a genuine filibuster. it was a hole to the floor.

it wasn't about one particular bill. it didn't hold up that particular thing. it wasn't a traditional one where he went i've gotta stop this particular thing. it was almost a lesson in how to filibuster positively. >> i guess i'll just have to speak to the people of my state from right here and i'll tell you one thing the wild horses aren't going to drag me off this floor until people have heard everything i have to say even if it takes all winter. >> you're nothing but a frustrated old man. >> hal: i don't mind getting back to that. i think if that was the single change, it would be worth it. >> i think so. >> hal: there are other ones that need to be have. we'll talk about that when we come back on "the stephanie miller show."

[ ♪ theme ♪ ] >> hal: and here we are with "the stephanie miller show." stephanie's on break. chris is here. jim is here. >> hello. >> hal: in studio with us, of course, ready to do the news but i'm not going to let her do it yet, not quite yet -- i'm not saying you can't. it's not about that. the important thing is that everybody knows that today's stephanie's -- yesterday was stephanie's mom's birthday. she's not why she's not here. >> 90 years old. stephanie took her out for some

gd lobster. >> hal: which used to be prison food. it was so cheap and plentiful in the northeast they used to feed it to prisoners and then it became sweet meat so it was an easy -- >> lobster. >> there is nothing that hal doesn't know. >> hal: they fed them to prisoners. >> they're the roaches of the sea. >> they're related to spiders. >> hal: yummy! >> i thought crabs were related to spiders. >> same thing. >> arachnids. >> someone will call in. >> hal: now to jacki schechner with news that matters. >> ago morning everybody. north korea says its nuclear program is no longer negotiable. "the new york times" reports that north korea's posturing could be interpreted as a direct challenge to president obama at the start of the second term. and a challenge to the new incoming president of south korea, both of whom have indicated a willingness to open a dialogue with kim jong unover dismant mantling his nuclear

program. washington reaffirming its support of the unanimous security council resolution punishing north korea for testing a long-range ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead last month. the pentagon meanwhile offering limited support to french troops as they continue to fight islamic militants in mali. transport planes are helping move men and gear into the west african country but officials insist the american footprint on the ground will stay small. france also asking for help refueling its warplanes but president obama has not yet made a decision on whether he will authorize the use of u.s. aerial tankers. he's asking for more information from france on its overall plans. the fear is that more u.s. involvement could endanger american personnel and facilities in the region if we come to be seen as a cocombatant in that conflict. then back here at home, national rifle association chief wayne lapierrre is keeping up his combative stance with president obama, now attacking the inaugural address. in a speech in reno last night

lapierrre accused the president of attacking supporters of the second amendment saying universal background checks are good for two things, either taxing gun owners or taking their guns away. we're back after the break. commercials? those types are coming on to me all the time now. (vo) she gets the comedians laughing and the thinkers thinking. >>ok, so there's wiggle room in the ten commandments, that's what you're saying. you would rather deal with ahmadinejad than me. >>absolutely. >> and so would mitt romney. (vo) she's joy behar. >>and the best part is that current will let me say anything. what the hell were they thinking? [ voice of dennis ] ...safe driving bonus check? every six months without an accident, allstate sends a check. ok. [ voice of dennis ] silence. are you in good hands?

the chill of peppermint. the rich dark chocolate. york peppermint pattie get the sensation.

>> announcer: ladies and gentlemen, it's the "the stephanie miller show." ♪ i'm walkin' on sunshine ♪ ♪ i'm walkin' on sunshine ♪ ♪ and it's time to feel good ♪ ♪ hey, all right now ♪ ♪ it's time to feel good ♪ >> hal: all right now! that's right. it's the "the stephanie miller show." i'm hal sparks along with jacki schechner and chris lavoie, the boy toy lavoie, executive producer. i don't know how you can do both but you are. you're boy toy and e.p.

>> she just tells me to shut up and wear something tight. >> as he cross his arm across his chest. >> i'm hiding my shame. >> hal: he's still in airplane seat mode. voice deity jim ward who is, of course, scrolling bikini pictures on his laptop. >> conspiracy theory. >> volcanos. >> hal: we have to don't -- do a small conspiracy corner with jim and i because we haven't done it in so long. >> i know! >> hal: there are so many good ones out there. and especially with all of that ridiculous alex jones nonsense going on and -- >> you've been on the show. >> hal: okay. so the two big stories coming up not only right now is hillary clinton speaking, secretary clinton is speaking at the benghazi hearing and her initial statement from what we heard kind of was a whac-a-mole of conspiracy theories around

benghazi, one after the other. and actually, one of the harshest moments in the debates where mitt romney said you said act of terror. read the transcripts. please proceed governor. would you like another shovel, governor? >> we can still see the top of your head. >> hal: exactly. and she mentioned that you know, the fact that not only did he say it but she also referenced it the very next day. they also mention the fact that in -- they were having all of these -- because of the video they were having a lot of just riots in the streets and demonstrations and the like. and there was this idea that in the benghazi attack, it was either an al-qaeda-based terrorist attack on one of our embassies, period or it was a riot about a video. >> or both. >> hal: but the truth is, like most intelligence gathering will tell you somewhere in the

middle. and what it looks more and more like and what the c.i.a.'s report on it came out as saying was that it was an al-qaeda-linked group taking advantage and having the tacit cover that would allow them to even get close that there were all of the riots all over the place. it was almost expected at the different sites so you know, you may -- they may have -- you walk down the street with a bunch of molotov cocktails when nothing sells going on, they shut you down six blocks away. if it is happening all over the place, they're like here they come. they'll be waving flags and complaining. oh, my gosh, it is actually -- >> have we ruled out the possibility that they were somehow complicit in spreading that clip of the movie that there was somehow -- >> hal: the right wing you mean? >> not necessarily the right wing but if there was a terrorist group that was looking for cover at the time, that they could have -- because we hadn't -- we hadn't heard of the movie here.

when it came out of the blue and it said the muslim world was outraged a in the movie -- we were like what movie as if we had made it here, shown it here, we're screening it across the country. this big popular american movie. >> hal: understand the social structure and the entertainment structure of the middle east versus the united states. we have a very obvious distinction between films and television. in india they do not necessarily as much and that's why there are so many bollywood movies because in a lot of areas, there aren't tv stations and the like so people will go to the movies every week like we did in the '20s. that's where you go for your visual entertainment. do you it all the time. you could go every other day if you wanted to and see another movie. >> this was like a clip on youtube. this wasn't even an actual -- >> hal: but the idea was it was an american movie. it is easy to float in that portion of the world that this is a movie that's in theatres in the united states and this is what they really think. >> that could have been -- >> hal: it is too easy to do.

>> the flames of that fire could have been fueled by a group looking for cover to attack our consulate in benghazi. >> hal: giving them any kind of protection because of that is the problem. not allowing for that real -- that to be genuine part of the conversation when you're having -- you know, benghazi hearings going look, people take advantage of the fact that we have a knee-jerk reaction politically against each other. we have a responsibility. it was interesting to see how post-9-11 and during the iraq and afghan wars during the first -- especially during the first six years of them which covered the re-election of bush, there was -- i think more than most of plus comfortable with, democrats going you know what? i'm not going to overtly criticize the president and his policies too much because we are at war. and there is an enin i that wants to do a major terrorist attack on the level of 9-11 again and i don't want to be the last guy who spoke before it

happened. somewhere between that. that's why tsa people didn't smile at anybody because they were afraid there would be video of them smiling at the guy who walked through and blew the plane up. initial reaction to 9-11 that was hyperconservative in the tradition -- >> and deafer essential. -- and deferential. >> hal: that's right. even though we're trying to wind down the afghanistan war and the dwhrad we're not intending to get into another one. we're in the process of trying to not have to put troops in another country and the president is actively engaged in very delicate conversations with other countries u.n. and nato forces ran themselves through surrogates and other countries so that we don't have to pack a a 1.4 million of our citizens in engagements again and again so we don't have to do that,

there's nothing from the right wing saying you know what? i have problems with the domestic policies of this president or whatever but i'm not going to open up the door where i'm going to call him a muslim. i'm not going to do that and make it both a pejorative and or accusatory. >> don't you think this is online with the inherent lack of disrespect they seem to have for this president? >> lack of respect. >> lack of respect. disrespect or lack of respect. >> hal: i think there's two reasons why they have a lack of respect. one is they can't have respect for him and then get re-elected later in their mind. >> it is worse now than it's ever been with any other democratic president. >> hal: i agree. there is something knee-jerk and guttural about it. if you look at their -- their vilification of bill clinton, we forget because the economy -- we didn't go through a major snap during that time like we did now. and certainly not coming in. the original iraq war lasted 21

days, 19 days effectively. 21 with the troop's removal. that was over before clinton came in. >> that was amazing. >> hal: yeah but it was also -- it was arguably more of a wag the dog situation you know than almost any other -- >> it was different because -- >> hal: it was based on slant drilling. iraq was slant drilling into -- >> yeah. went into a country that was being invaded by another country. we didn't go into the country that was invading. so there are two different kinds of wars. >> hal: absolutely. in the case of iraq this time, iran never attacked us. never invaded us. >> right. >> hal: never had the capability of attacking or invading. >> we told saddam hussein he could go ahead. >> hal: that's the thing. >> no opinion on the border dispute. >> hal: exactly. we gave him i think $6 billion 90 days before the iraq war began and gave him tacit

agreement. as soon as he did them, jumped on it. that being said, bill clinton's -- even though he was in a section of the '90s where we didn't have a 9-11. we didn't have a tech bubble burst on a major level. this was really a season of prosperity in a couple of different fronts so our arguments that we saw didn't -- they just didn't have a hinge point. fights picked intentionally arguably. the second term of clinton -- you don't forget how newt gingrich and those guys, how they viewed him as the destruction of the moral character of the presidency. this is how they defined him. and this was -- >> gingrich. >> the guy with four husbands who said -- >> four wives. you said four husbands. >> hal: sorry. that's another big republican there. yeah. he's been a husband four times.

but also was one of the guys who you know said to his -- i believe it was his girlfriend/mistress while he still had one of the wives at the time sedates not what i do, it's what i say that's important. which is amazing. but so i'm not -- i don't think they let clinton off the hook. i think it is so off the charts how they're doing it with obama that we kind of forget how much they vilified clinton for a ridiculous offense in the annals of history, on the level of what could be high crimes and misdemeanors, what they really went after. especially considering it started as a million dollar -- multi-million dollar waste of time looking for a land deal that never -- >> exactly. >> hal: classic bureaucratic drift. that the republicans apparently -- and supposedly hate. >> but they kept this one going. they didn't find this one here. >> hal: it ended up being about simply a sexual act.

>> it was actually the orals of history. >> hal: that's a good point. >> oh, for the love of god. too soon. >> hal: no wonder you didn't get to go to any balls. >> we can't take you anywhere. >> hal: let's take a break. we'll be back right after this. 1-800-steph-12 is our phone number. i'm hal sparks with jacki schechner, chris ward and jim lavoie. >> she was abandoned by wolves and raised by republicans. it's "the stephanie miller show."

[ male announcer ] this is karen and jeremiah. they don't know it yet but they're gonna fall in love get married, have a couple of kids, [ children laughing ] move to the country, and live a long, happy life together where they almost never fight about money. [ dog barks ] because right after they get married they'll find some retirement people who are paid on salary not commission. they'll get straightforward guidance and be able to focus on other things, like each other, which isn't rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade.

i think the number one thing that viewers like about the young turks is that we're honest. they can question whether i'm right, but i think that the audience gets that this guy, to the best of his ability, is trying to look out for us.

♪ can't touch this ♪ >> hal: actually you can for $9.99. >> for the price of a cup of coffee. >> hal: you can touch this. the steph cast actually. >> $4.95 a month if you buy a year in advance. $7.95 a month if you have a fear of commitment. >> i don't know. i can only take this on a month to month level. if i have to keep hearing the nonsense. >> i'm going to want to see other radio programs. >> hal: before we get to the big republican punt -- did you guys see this -- the epic eye roll story from michelle obama. >> amazing. >> hal: the story in "huffington post" says first lady not amused with president's banter with john boehner. they were trying to have a shared moment. her body language as she's eating is like --

>> get him away from me! >> hal: which isn't that different from his wife who is on the other side of him. >> boehner's wife. >> you can kind of see mrs. boehner grabbing some silverware and putting it in her purse. >> no! >> hal: i think she spilled on her lap. >> i prefer to think -- >> isn't this sweet in low free? >> hal: if i was at the inaugural luncheon, i would take a glass. >> went on a white house tour and drank the water and i was excited. >> hal: golden child. >> this water's filtered for the president. >> hal: i bet this could kill a vampire. >> news it came directly from the potomac. >> hal: regarding this story the eye rolling story. apparently inside edition purveyor of everything

journalistic hired a lip reader to see what john boehner was saying and apparently -- let's see, the lip reader believes that john boehner's asking president obama whether he had a chance to have a cigarette before the luncheon. and then boehner tapped the first lady on the arm before telling the president that somebody won't let you do it. >> oh, god. >> hal: wow. and then -- >> she rolls her eyes. >> that's when she rolled her eyes. understandably so. >> hal: by the way this goes back to bush -- >> short leash. >> hal: famously bush's appearance on the letterman show when in the initial run in '99 2000, around that time. there was a female producer who gave notes to letterman during the break. bush cleaned his glasses on her dress. >> oh, god. >> hal: a woman he did not know. letterman goes -- after he left, letterman goes we don't normally

do this. but i want everybody to see this. you can look it up on youtube. a woman he did not know grabbed the hem of her skirt and cleaned his glasses. who does that? >> this was w or senior? >> hal: w. senior would have just barfed on her. w, imagine some guy doing that at a bar or a guy you don't know grabs the hem of your skirt and cleans his glasses with them. >> that's an a-hole move. >> i'm mortified. i don't even know what to say. >> that's not even the worst thing he did. >> hal: no, not at all. that's stunning. boehner, feeling like he can touch the first lady and they don't hang. they don't go to dinner. >> they don't socialize at all. they don't know each other. >> you don't touch a woman you don't have a relationship with. you just don't. >> especially the first lady. >> next to her husband.

>> hal: you certainly don't hand bump her with your arm like you're at a sporting event and they went to the game with you. >> and talk about her like she's not there. someone won't let you do it. >> it smacks of the inherent republican disrespect for women. >> absolutely. >> hal: it's stunning! >> you can treat marsha blackburn like that. >> hal: if kay bailey hutchinson hangs out at your house because you're on the same caucus and on occasion and you caucus together -- i guess to some degree, there's a tacit social opens to that. that's fine. >> she's still the first lady of the united states, too. it is not just that he's being disrespectful to a woman. he's being inherently disrespectful to the president's wife first lady. >> hey she's got you on a short

leash, huh, pal? >> hal: i think regardless -- i think you're right about the first lady aspect of it. i also think that it doesn't matter. >> no, of course. >> hal: if you introduced me to a friend of yours and we're out to dinner or whatever, die lean over and smack her on the arm to further a joke, to get her attention whatever. i don't know this person. i have just -- i don't hang out with this person regularly. we don't have a history together. it is something out of respect for another human being you don't do. i wouldn't do that with a guy i don't know. >> i don't think you would wipe your glasses on your girlfriend's dress. >> hal: right. that's amazing. what kind of a scumbag. that drove me nuts. this is my property. and here she is, a producer on the letterman show, he's a presidential candidate and the son of a president and the ambassador to china and the head of the c.i.a., we'll get to that later when jim and i talk -- >> this is a guy who gave a shoulder rub -- what's wrong

with you? >> hal: the prime minister of germany. he runs up and gives her a shoulder rub randomly at a meeting -- >> surprising her. >> hal: this is part of that -- and then one of the republicans, what did they just do? they just had a retreat at a former plantation -- in virginia. >> hal: in virginia -- >> to learn not to talk about rape. >> hal: how to talk to women and minorities better. >> don't mention rape. you have to be told to be less rapey. >> if you have to be told to be less rapey you really shouldn't be holding office. >> hal: i got news for you. rape should be discussed in this country. we should have a conversation. >> but we shouldn't -- >> hal: don't dismiss it. >> don't joke about it. >> did he that once and invaded poland. >> hal: really? i will say -- >> can't get through a show without a hitler reference.

>> hal: i take issue that we don't joke about rape in this country because we always does. rape is one of the most hack common jokes you'll hear but it is done about men going to prison. >> that's true. the prison rape jokes. >> hal: the single most common joke -- >> is it really? >> hal: used in every cop movie you'll see every -- >> don't drop the soap. >> prison rape joke. >> hal: it is about a man being raped once he goes to jail. that's what it is about but since joking is often built on the concept of it's okay to joke up, not down, you don't joke about someone in a station lower than you in life or with less advantage -- >> that's why dennis miller isn't funny. one of the reasons. >> that's why republicans aren't funny. >> because they know dennis miller and they hang out with them. he's even less funny than they are. we'll be back. more of the hal sparks fill-in version -- just for newsbusters. hear that, dennis? we'll be back with more of "the

stephanie miller show" right after this. arguments to feel confident in their positions. i want them to have the data and i want them to have the passion. but it's also about telling them, you're put on this planet for something more. i want this show to have an impact beyond just informing. an impact that gets people to take action themselves. as a human being, that's really important. this is not just a spectator sport.

>> announcer: stephanie miller. >> think she has the key to popularity. parking in cars with the boys at night when jerry brags about taking -- >> stephanie up, he learns that she dates all the boys and he feels less important. [ laughter ] >> hal: i don't know. i think you gotta earn your keep. dates all the boys, it gives you more impetus to stand out. talk about bootstrapping. >> she hasn't dated boys since the early '90s. >> hal: that's true. even then -- >> park in cars with girls? >> hal: she dates all the girls. it just gives you more reason to develop your skills and be

interesting. >> yeah, that's it. >> hal: speaking of someone who's skated on charms for decades now the adversity of not being the tallest guy in the room or you know, the quarterback orthos kind of things ends up training you to be a more interesting person later in l.i.e. you'll never get a bruce springsteen song written about you in that regard. >> glory days. >> hal: by the way in shocking news -- paul ryan hated obama's speech. he accused the president of using a strawman argument. >> the president is a proud and competent liberal progressive. he invoked the constitution of the declaration at times which are something that everybody likes to hear, especially conservatives. but he invoked them as a means to sort of legitimize the agenda

he has going forward which was you know, fairly partisan. very ideology for sure. and you know, it doesn't surprise me he did that because he's basically saying i'm a govern and i'm going to govern as a liberal and i won. >> exactly. your point is? >> he ran as a liberal. he won as a liberal. >> liberals wouldn't say he ran as a liberal. they wouldn't say that at all. >> nor would they say the speech was overtly liberal. there are two people involved in a communication exchange. the person speaking and the person listening and both play a part in the conversation. and it should some as no surprise that paul ryan hears what he wants to hear. and his former would-be boss, mitt romney hears what he wants to hear. both of them have made a -- have a legacy of intentionally obfuscating things they hear

themselves. >> good word! >> hal: stuffing their ears with wax so they don't have to hear the real story. >> la, la, la, la, la. >> hal: in this case, he heard -- first of all, the idea that he goes conservatives especially liked the invocation of the constitution. i would disagree. i think liberals and progressives are huge fans of the constitution. we just -- interestingly enough, i think the constitution sides with us more often than it does with republicans and especially of the issue that paul ryan comes from because if it didn't, they wouldn't have to bring it up so often. >> by constitution, you mean the second amendment. >> hal: the well-regulated part, we'll ignore that. >> because that's inconvenient. >> hal: freedom of speech. it is great except when somebody shoot up a school and has high-capacity magazines and is planning on doing a mass

shooting. the important thing is to go after video games and movies. all the while calling democrats the ones who favor a nanny state. is there anything more nannyish in a state act than stopping what you can see or hear in entertainment? i mean honestly. >> you're absolutely right. >> hal: there are two things the nanny does. feed you and entertain you. that are major. the cleaning part, sanitation, sewage being what it is and using the analogy that's sound and left off to the side. but in all honestly, paul ryan heard what he wanted to hear out of this thing and this idea that he made this partisan agenda -- really was because he got called out. paul ryan got called out in that speech. his does not referring about takers in this country and he had to walk that back while pouting about what the president said.

>> it is very hard to take a man seriously after he's posed for a spread in his gym shorts. >> hal: don't talk about me like i'm not here. there's nothing wrong with trying out for a boy band in the '90s. >> he had a weight in his hand. there was nothing to his bicep. >> hal: but he has muscle confusion. >> p90x. every time we talk about him, i picture that ridiculous spread. >> hal: his hand out. where's the other four guys in the boy band who are there? ♪ step by step ♪ >> hal: he goes -- no one -- this was his response when he was asked about obama's -- >> paul ryan has a butt hurt. poor little fella. >> hal: wah. he's in the nook nook crowd. he has the same hair as sean hannity. different color tone. age-related color tone.

>> do it! >> hal: nook, nook, nook going on. he goes no one is suggesting we call our earned entitlements like medicare and social security are putting you in a taker category. actually, that's exactly what he did. when you say 47% and then you back it up by saying actually 53% of the country are takers and anybody who doesn't pay income tax is a taker that's what he was saying. flat out. that includes every vet every retired vet every retired person in the entire country anybody on disability. anybody who receives governing -- including paul ryan. for those of who you don't recall, paul ryan's father passed away when he was a young man. he received social security assistance. he used that to go to college. and if he had not had that money from the government to pay for his college, he would more than likely not be in the u.s. house of representatives. >> he would be working in his family's construction company. >> hal: which is probably the only liberal reason to curb

entitlements i can think of. in reality, this is a guy who climbed into the lifeboat, over the heads of other people, a fit, healthy young man from a relatively well-to-do family, used -- had enough money in his life to not have to worry about -- took his social security survivor benefits and put them toward his education because he didn't need them for food. this is a guy who crawled over other people to get in the lifeboat and is kicking hands off the side. and then when he is called out for -- for the very words he used, he says the president is presenting a strawman argument. then what do we have today? this is the guy. these are the constitutionalists, the deficit hawks, the people who believe it is very important that we deal with the real stories -- the response to the president's inauguration -- on fox where is mention of the deficit, the despair and helplessness. it was mentioned by humor and

medgar evers widow and every other person. god forbid the president's speech should be hopeful and point genuinely that america is going to survive and we have reason to be hopeful. >> that's right. >> hal: but in this -- here's paul ryan getting called out. all of these guys on the right saying where's the real -- where is it? so what's the first act of the house that they're going to do today? what's the big bill that's going through? punting the debt ceiling. a vote is going to go through today. >> punting it down three more months. >> hal: a three-month wait to deal with -- >> because why get done today what you can put off? >> hal: because people are still glowing in the aftermath of the inauguration. people are still recognizing the president -- their message that the president isn't interested in deficits and handling it because he did mention it in his inauguration. he did mention doing in a balanced approach and the

american people agree with him on that part. so if they have to act on it in the next week, people are still that much engaged. they're hoping in three months the american public will disengage enough for them to create another false narrative. >> so when we talk about rating the debt ceiling. we've already racked up the bills and we have to pay them. that's an obvious -- that's the fact. >> hal: right. >> they like to combine the two right and make it about future spending and paying off the bills. the president says it over and over and over again but it doesn't stick. don't understand why it doesn't stick. why people don't understand there are two separate arguments. i would imagine the republicans are buying time so they can continue to mush them together again. >> hal: it gives them leverage to say we're spending so much we have to raise our credit limit essentially. we should be able to not do that because we can cut in other areas. in their mind, they've been able to create the idea that all government ever does is balloon. which is not the case at all.

for all intense and purposes and to anyone who looks at the measurement, governments shrink under democrats and grow under republicans. the debt that this president is dealing with, he had a trillion dollars added to what, the normal cost of government with all of the problems that it had accrued during the bush years. an extra trillion dollars for the iraq and afghanistan war. >> right. >> hal: and we have to pay for those. and instead of doing it a world war ii marshal plan kind of we're all in this together, rosie the riveter let's do scrap drives and don't eat as much meat so we have food to send to the troops, get do that. we cut taxes on the wealthy and let everything slide. >> right. >> hal: and that's why we have to raise the debt ceiling. that's why we have -- >> paying the bills that we already racked up. so it just seems to clear to me those with two separate arguments. the president discusses how they're two separate arguments yet the media doesn't say it

often enough. >> they're going with the republican's narrative on it. >> hal: right. ultimately, i see where they're going for this. the government is expanding so we have to raise the debt ceiling. it is costing more and more money so we have to raise the debt ceiling. there's no point where we've had a vote to lower the debt ceiling because that's ridiculous. you don't have to. it contracts naturally with expenditures. >> you pay the bill. the debt goes down. >> hal: the way it may be handled, as a matter of fact, at one point when our deficit has actually contracted which it has continued to do, as a matter of fact, there was a report done if it contracted faster, it would cause inflation. >> really? >> hal: yeah. so if you look at the arc of it it is going down at a faster rate than it's ever done after a situation like this. i think when we hit a major contraction point which would be below the debt ceiling which happens often, the president should come out and say the cost of government is actually below the cost of government six

months ago. >> that would be nice. >> hal: it happens all the time but it never gets press. it only gets press when we boost these times. more of the "the stephanie miller show" with jacki and jim and chris and i doing our best to fill that void. she'll be back tomorrow. don't worry. 1-800-steph-12 is our number. we'll be back right after this. >> republican outrage. you keep listening she'll make more. it's "the stephanie miller show." one to call them out. they can question whether i'm right, but i think that the audience gets that this guy, to the best of his ability, is trying to look out for us.

(vo) she gets the comedians laughing and the thinkers thinking. >>ok, so there's wiggle room in the ten commandments, that's what you're saying. (vo) she's joy behar. >>current will let me say anything. >> rock. >> stephanie miller. >> rock. >> stephanie miller. >> break. >> rock. >> stephanie miller.

>> hal: welcome back to "the stephanie miller show." i'm hal sparks with jacki schechner, jim ward and chris lavoie. filling in for mama while she's away visiting her mother. >> we're officially a bicoastal team. we were in d.c. now we're back in l.a. we get around. >> hal: yeah. we just need some balls here. >> we're very, very tired. >> yes. >> hal: everybody dragging. >> we were texting earlier who got home later? >> you got home first. >> did i get home first. >> hal and jim and i were on the same flight. >> hal: you were earlier? >> i was separate on an earlier flight. >> hal: my girlfriend left earlier that morning because i didn't know what our arrangement was going to be when we did this months ago how it would work out. and the washington airport dulles is like an hour away from downtown. it is a $75 cab ride minimum.

there's this -- arguably, if you're flying -- if you're ever going to go to d.c., fly into reagan. it will be more expensive -- >> call it national, please. >> hal: into national. >> you can take the metro there. >> hal: you can actually take a shuttle to the pentagon from national airport. >> planes are in danger of hitting the washington monument. >> did that make you nervous while you were at the inauguration. as much as the gun talk has been going on and i'm not nigh new year's eve enough to think the first black president is ever going to be completely safe during his run, i feel that way about almost every progressive president. arguably felt that way about clinton at certain times. during the assault weapons ban part of his presidency. because -- and you notice there isn't a single republican who's ever ever afraid.

we might throw red paint on your mink. or glitter bomb you. they're the side with the ted nugents of the world who believe they're going to do an armed revolution which by the way he said. >> good luck to that. >> hal: to anyone who is listening to ted nugent, little sister is coming of age. that song has a lot more meaning when you know that he married a girl to avoid statutory rape charges. but right now, secretary clinton is actually speaking at the benghazi hearing and taking questions from john mccain. >> that will make a difference. again, i would urge that you look and read both the classified and unclassified versions of the report that tries to deal with the very questions that you and senator johnson are raising the timing of it and the like. but i also hope we're look

forward because right now libya is still dangerous. it is still in a very unstable status. and whatever we can do for them, we at least ought to agree we need to do and get out there and start delivering. >> thank you, madam secretary. >> madam secretary, i want to honor our commitment to you to try to keep you within a certain timeframe knowing you have to go before the house. i also want to honor the opportunity for every member to ask a question. i appreciate your very thorough answers. >> she's prepared. >> with that, senator durbin. >> madam secretary, thank you for being here. excuse me. it was a little more than four years ago that a number of your colleagues myself included, encouraged you to take on this responsibility. believing you would have a profound impact on the world and on the diplomacy of the united states. >> hal: did we grab any of mccain's response? here's the interesting thing is she's been very thorough in her answers and mccain drug his

chunk out for quite some time. and as much as -- >> she's the one that gets a spanking for it. >> hal: either way mccain -- the idea that chairman was saying we want everybody to have a chance to ask you a question. what he basically means is democrat ask a question of substance because you don't need to pass the wand around when mccain is asking questions. he has all of the same conspiracy fox points that they're all going to ask. he and lindsey graham have been like these bizarre benghazi conspiracy -- >> sean hannity tells them what questions to ask. >> hal: in this case, he said something very illuminating which was -- he goes you know, he mentioned that the president said that it was an act of terror. he mentioned her mentioning that it was an act of terror. he said that in the three media.appearances the president went on including the view, he said we're still investigating. he didn't overtly say it was an

act of al-qaeda. >> prudent thing to do. >> hal: which is what you do as an adult. >> here's exactly what happened. never going to vary on this. >> hal: mccain then said -- but then it was interesting language that he used. he goes -- he goes there was no mention that they somehow might be in some way connected to al-qaeda. well, that's not an answer. that's why you keep investigating. you keep investigating so you can say what it was. if they are and they were real ones versus the guys who go to a web site and just think that they're associated like the nine guys with nunchucks in florida those guys aren't al-qaeda-related. they might be al-qaeda wannaens. that's not the same thing. as the president of the united states or the secretary of the united states, secretary of state for the united states, you have an obligation that when you say al-qaeda did this versus some al-qaeda wanna-bees did this, there is a very big

difference. and one of them shores up a failing political arm of a radical movement. if you say al-qaeda was successful in an attack, that they got marching orders from a hierarchical structure -- >> it gives us reason to attack somebody. >> hal: it also gives them strength in their recruiting. it also says there are legitimate arms still around. they still have their same value they had under osama bin laden or throughout you know, the 2000s, the early -- the first part of the iraq and afghanistan war. but if you say it turned out that these were opportunistic anti-american guys who are militia-related to the government of libya say that do have tacit connections to al-qaeda or did at one point that's a bigger conversation as well. you don't immediately say then that's an act of war. the government of libya has a militia group attached to them through their linkage and we're

now at war with the government of libya. and that's where mccain wants to go. mccain wants to go to war with iran. mccain wants to link anybody who might attack the united states somehow like we did with iraq to iran. to give us room to move. to either allow israel to make an attack and us have their back or to do it first and have them join us. >> that's irresponsible. >> hal: that's right. that's what a child does. that's what a tv commentator does. that's not what the president or the secretary of state does. that's not what an intelligence operative does. that's why she's saying read the classified and the unclassified versions you'll see most of your questions are answered. >> score political points. >> hal: back with more of "the stephanie miller show" right after this.

rrenttv

turks is that we're honest. they can question whether i'm right, but i think that the audience gets that this guy, to the best of his ability, is trying to look out for us.

>> stephanie miller. ♪ let's groove tonight ♪ ♪ share the spice of life ♪ >> hal: welcome back to "the stephanie miller show." now with 100% more news butthead calls. >> i put on a sweater in case you have glasses nide to wipe. -- you need to wipe. >> hal: i know you and i respect you and even if i didn't, i wouldn't. >> jim would. >> you wouldn't do that to anybody you didn't know. >> hal: it is ludicrous. in case he wants to call back by the way if that wasn't enough as far as the belief somehow that some people are below you attitudes of one president

versus the other great video of course of w. shaking hands with a black person in haiti then wiping his hand on bill clinton's shirt. >> i'll bet you a million dollars he didn't wipe it on his jacket. >> it was on his shirt. >> it was sweat. the guy was black but that's not important. i'll bet you $1,000 if it was another sweaty person -- >> wipe it on your own pants. >> wipe your glasses off on your own shirt. >> hal: or ask for something. >> a tissue. >> hal: because it's not like you're not surrounded by sycophants who will polish your glasses for you. >> there must be footage of bush clearing his nose. halt russian hankie. which is my ex-hungarian girlfriend -- she's still hungarian but not my girlfriend, used to call it the russian hand shake. one nose it out. i do think it is important.

but before we went to break, i was mentioning -- you remember the republicans really care about deficits, why didn't the president mention the deficit in the inauguration? >> he talked about it. >> hal: that's what i mean. >> did he say the word "deficit"? >> hal: i believe so. >> talked about spending. >> hal: yes. regardless, the republicans house republicans have been spending -- they've spent $3 million defending the defense of marriage act. >> yes. >> hal: the bill that guarantees the federal government will not protect the rights of gays to get married and basically move from state to state. if you get married in massachusetts and you want to move to arkansas, they don't have to recognize it if they don't want to. that took legislative priority. that was important enough -- they couldn't move on s-chip legislation in a couple of sessions but they could really -- you know -- >> hone in on this. >> hal: hone in on this. they have paid a lawyer, paul

clement, $520 an hour according to think progress, to defend it in court. and his reasoning as to why it should not be seen before the supreme court and why it should not -- it should stand and never be put before the supreme court where, by the way, it would more than likely lose and that's why he doesn't want it in there. the reason he's giving -- >> $520 an hour. >> hal: his $520 an hour reason is gays don't need their lack of rights put in front of the supreme court because they're too powerful. yeah. in short gays and lesbians are one of the influential, best organized interest groups in modern politics. and have attained more legislative victories in popular favor in less time than any other group in american history. they not only have the attention of lawmakers they're winning many legislative battles. the importance of this factor in the analysis cannot be gainsaid. given that the ultimate inquiry

focuses on whether a group needs the special interventions of the courts or whether issue should be left for the democratic process, the political strengths of gays and lesbians in the political outcome should be outcome determinative here. meaning that they're getting a lot of rights, state to state anyways. even though they don't have them. they're kind of gonna. >> so their argument is white people should have no say because we have too much power. >> hal: or arguably -- >> good point. >> hal: interestingly enough, ian millhiser at think progress makes this point which is one can only wonder what paul might have written if virginia, the state of virginia had hired him to defend their practice of racial marriage discrimination when it was first before the justices in 1967 writing negro leaders meet off oen with the president and congressional leaders and indeed president johnson signed two major laws pushed by the negro lobby. the negro groups not only led a widely attended rally on the national mall, they attend well

attended sit-ins that garner press attention and national sympathy. >> why even have loving versus virginia? >> hal: that's the argument. they don't deserve their equal rights to be held to scrutiny. because they're on tv a lot. >> there's too many blacks. in escalades. >> hal: gay people have two sitcoms. [ laughter ] they don't need to have their rights reviewed by the supreme court when they're denied those very rights. >> they have good times. >> hal: black people don't need it. there's good times. >> there's julia. >> hal: the jacksons seem quite happy. >> as ridiculous as the argument is -- >> you have all four tops. >> what's more astonishing is this is the best they could do. >> hal: $520 an hour, this is the essential argument for defending doma, not going before the supreme court and the reason this guy has come up with this argument is so that he doesn't

have to go before the supreme court because he knows based on the constitution, he will lose. >> two words. will and grace. >> dogs and cats living together mass hysteria. that's stunning. your tax dollars at work. never mind the whatever -- >> do i get a say in the fact we don't want our money spent on defending -- >> hal: it was called the 2010 elections and we skipped it. >> ahh. >> hal: that's really what it was. >> the reinforcements of the anti-gay -- many people in this room didn't. the point is a lot of progressives and liberals did and that's what that joke that i tell at sexy liberal means. i have a lot of liberal friends who love this country so much that of they almost vote every other election. >> that's why it matters. >> hal: we vote every two years in this country. we let -- we can't let stuff like that slide. after 2010 they found -- they felt like they had won a

legislative victory on social issues and so -- look at that. still got his "i voted" sticker. but that's why it is actually more important almost that you really make a point to get your friends out. if you're a regular voter great. drive somebody to the polls with you. make a lunch out of it. take them to lunch and go vote during your lunch hour. i mean that is one of the single, biggest organizational tools that democrats who outnumber republicans in a lot of areas that often vote red could do which is on election day or if you have early voting in your area, gather up a friend and go guess what, you're registered to vote. nope. okay. i'm going to take you to lunch three months before the election cycle and we're going to go get you registered to vote. we'll take you someplace where we know your registration won't get chucked out. we'll meet and have another lunch on election day or in the lead-up in the early election time and we're going to go vote together. but you know, bring a buddy.

it is -- it is one of the reasons why that was actually used by the -- what is now organizing for america but was -- >> organizing for action. >> hal: organizing for action which was obama for america. that organization -- that's part of what they did. was buddy voting. that's -- ground game. [ laughter ] >> wow. >> yeah, that. >> hal: ground game. >> amazingly well-organized. >> get out the vote is terrific. >> hal: exactly. that is tremendously important this time around. we'll take more of your calls after this break. 1-800-steph-12 is our number. i'm hal sparks with jacki schechner, chris and jim filling in for steph while she's out. she'll be back tomorrow. we'll be back right after this. armed with the facts, and the arguments to feel confident in

their positions. i want them to have the data and i want them to have the passion. but it's also about telling them, you're put on this planet for something more. i want this show to have an impact beyond just informing. an impact that gets people to take action themselves. as a human being, that's really important. this is not just a spectator sport.

desmond tutu said a quote that is one of my favorite quotes. "we are tied together in a web of humanity. i am a person only through you. i can only be a person only through you." that really resonates me and drives my work. the world is becoming an incredibly connected place. mobile phones are really driving that connection. at kiva, we run an internet marketplace. people can lend to other people for the purpose of starting a small business, going to school or a variety of other good causes. you can go to kiva.org and you can see pictures and profiles of people from over sixty countries all across the world. you can lend them as little as $25. if they are successful, they will pay you back. dear rixi, you're a honduran immagrant. you're coming to the us, you have an idea to start, you know,

a women's cosmetics store or a clothing store. you're going to need a lot of things, ya know, to pay the rent, permits inventory, advertising, marketing so that adds up quite a bit. you're going to need tens of thousands of dollars to start a small busines. there is ten million-plus people completely left out of the formal finical system. banks don't lend to people like that at all. there is a lot of opportunity to decrease unemployment, provide employment, provide economic opportunity and raise our standard of living by investing in small business. our hearts are an incredibly powerful thing. good technology can help amplify this power and create an incredibly powerful force that can spread to every country in the world.

>> stephanie miller. >> when you open the door, will your mystery date be a dream? or a dud? >> oh! >> hal: so welcome back to the "the stephanie miller show." >> thank you. >> hal: yes. you've been here the whole time. i'm talking to the people -- >> it is not always about you chris! >> hal: you have too much power to gain. >> right. i have too many rights. >> you need some lifts. >> hal: which by the way especially this particular inauguration i think as much as

like we talked about this earlier when we played that little crossroads gps nugget that karl rove's organization -- that was, by the way one of the biggest losers -- i think they were third only to mitt romney and paul ryan. >> spent money and got nothing for it. >> hal: along with the nra by the way. terrible. and who were you -- who -- you mentioned before when we were in the break earlier about someone saying that benghazi was the most -- the biggest tragedy -- >> rand paul saying that. >> hal: and we were make the point sort of during the same break that newtown actually more innocent americans died in that situation than the benghazi attack. >> yes. senator rand paul said to clinton he would have relieved her of her post had he been president. >> hal: wow. >> good thing he won't ever be

president. >> worst tragedy since 9-11. >> quote from patrick leahy. for republicans who have led the administration without acknowledging own efforts to slash resources for security, it is pure distill -- undistilled hypocrisy. >> hal: which is actually what they're serving in boehner's suite. pure undistilled hypocrisy. it is from mcconnell's stash. it is like a mint julep of idiocy. >> for senator clinton -- to secretary of state clinton's credit, she's fired back at the panel saying that you know, what was behind the attack is irrelevant. whether it was the video or whether it was terrorists acting on their own accord without the instigation of the video at this point is irrelevant. it was four dead americans. the point is -- >> hal: go forward to be safe. no matter who the attack in the future, we should be able to handle it. that's what an adult does. you can see what the holes were but only so you can patch them

in the future. that's been a consistent refrain from this white house and from secretary clinton throughout. interestingly enough, the inauguration itself, a lot of people are make the point that he covered every major progressive directional milestone that everybody's looking for this time out. gay rights were actually covered twice specifically in it. a direct reference to marriage. but also the reference to stonewall for those of you who don't know, a historic turning point where cops who used to regularly roust gay people -- raid gay bars -- >> because it was illegal for gays to gather. >> hal: right. >> it was against the law? >> no gaggles of gays. >> hal: more than two at the same time and it's a committee meeting. then they'll start --

>> you have a club. >> hal: the architecture in the neighborhood starts to improve. all hell breaks loose. >> landscaping. >> hal: they're going to get together. they're going to get in this bar. they're going to get up close to each other. have a few drinks and then make the whole area nicer. we put a stop to this immediately. but stonewall is where -- >> make the neighborhood safer. what are we going to do now? >> hal: famously, drag queens were giving the cops what for. >> they were mourning the death of judy garland. it happened the night after judy garland had died. so they were mourning the death of judy garland. they were really really upset as it was. and then the cops came in and raided the bar where they were gathering and they just said oh hell, no! >> hal: many of them in drag. laying the beat down on cops. we're not expecting throwbacks. it became a genuine civil rights -- it became like --

>> that was like one of the big first times that they fought back. >> i wonder how many cops decided to stay in the bars because they were having too much fun. >> hal: this feels good. by the way the bustier looks fantastic! [ laughter ] the fact that he brought up stonewall amongst the mentioning of other civil rights turning points is an extraordinary moment. >> judy garland's dead? >> hal: let's go to mark because he's been holding on. how are you? >> caller: i'm fine. thank you all for taking my call. >> hal: of course. >> caller: first time caller so i may be a little nervous. >> hal: that's okay. we don't have a first time caller song or ding like randy rhodes does. >> caller: thank god for that. [farting sounds] >> hal: we could use this. >> caller: i wanted to call about if i was putting this on the e-mail, this would be like

an imho but regarding the inauguration in general any inauguration of president or any election, to me, that kind of represents the penultimate in american exceptionalism because in spite of ted nut job and the nra to the contrary, we do not need to pick up weapons. we do not need to take arms to change things. we do it peacefully and that, to me is really -- >> hal: the peaceful exchange of power is tantamount to the importance of our democracy almost as much as the vote. >> except in 1963. >> caller: there you go. >> hal: but along the way there's no way you can transition from the rest of the world and from that point backwards in history that's how we did it. that's how it was always done. it was a version of caesar every

time. power structure to power structure. you often transitioned as many mideastern countries have. even in recent history from the military side wiping out the citizen side. citizen government. the military overtakes it. then after awhile, the military government kind of grows fat on its own comfort because it is no longer a fighting force and then it is voted out. it doesn't have the will to fight back arguably. a citizen government rises out of that slowly or some sort of royal or tyrranical version of that comes up. but either way a ruling community party like the communist party or what not who in russia took over killing the czars and putting in place, that similar thing. but then doing the exact same thing in the next major turnaround. maybe not four years like we do but in 20 years or 15 years it is the regularity. you're right. it was interesting, we were at the -- thank you for holding on by the way.

big hand. >> caller: no problem. >> two hours. >> hal: i was interviewed at the green ball. not by but at. green ball about people saying that there are all of the balls this weekend. and people are getting all dressed up. is this just a thing for rich people to run elbows with politicians and i went perhaps. and i'm sure there are certain amounts -- of course i live in los angeles. the parties around the oscars are partially built to -- to get the next oscar-winning movie off the ground. people go i have an idea. >> there is business. >> hal: business that will continue on but there is a celebration to the aspect of it where, out of respect for the extraordinary nature of it, you get dressed up. the inauguration balls and the tuxedos and all of those kind of things is an element of i don't care what your best clothes are. you put them on. you celebrate the fact we're

this kind of a country. part of our exceptionalism is it is not that you can't show up in jeans and go yee-ha, america and do a motorcycle ride in the parade and that's your version of it. that's totally fine but there is an element of let's class it up a little bit to show respect just like you would wear better clothes to church, just like you would wear better clothes to a wedding or a funeral or anyplace -- you mean to show respect. and that respect is earned through the blood of patriots dying on the battlefield and people who have given their blood, sweat and tears in volunteer organizations and in governmental office and in private business and in personal ways to make this country a better place and to make it the longest surviving democracy on the planet. and continue that tradition with honor. and so to me, all of the inaugural balls where everybody gets dressed up, it is more about paying respect to our process, you know. and i think if we had a little more comfort with that, then i

think we might vote more often. >> that makes sense. or at least appreciating we have the right to. i think we take it for granted in such a horrible way. >> we need more balls. >> hal: i agree. there should be voting balls. everybody should go to a voting ball. at least two. there should be at least two voting balls a year. >> there were two official balls this year. >> there were. >> hal: two official balls this year. that's true. there were a lot of unofficial balls all over washington. there were balls everywhere. small ones, big ones, some, you know, were a little -- were a little longer than the other ones. >> some a le little more inflated. some hung around longer. >> let's take a break. >> hal: we'll be back right after this on "the stephanie miller show." and the most transparently pathetically childish analogies ever. 1-800-steph-12. it is "the stephanie miller show." >> announcer: free speech. what a concept.

it's "the stephanie miller show." you know who is coming on to me now? you know the kind of guys that do reverse mortgage commercials? those types are coming on to me all the time now. (vo) she gets the comedians laughing and the thinkers thinking. >>ok, so there's wiggle room in the ten commandments, that's what you're saying. you would rather deal with ahmadinejad than me. >>absolutely. >> and so would mitt romney. (vo) she's joy behar. >>and the best part is that current will let me say anything. what the hell were they thinking?

[ voice of dennis ] allstate. with accident forgiveness, they guarantee your rates won't go up just because of an accident. smart kid. [ voice of dennis ] indeed. are you in good hands?

i think the number one thing that viewers like about the young turks is that we're honest. they can question whether i'm right, but i think that the audience gets that this guy, to the best of

his ability, is trying to look out for us. ♪ don't you know that you are ♪ >> stephanie miller. ♪ don't you know ♪ >> hal: i do know that. i'm aware of that. i'm wear that i'm a shooting star. >> you were geeking out over technology. >> hal: during the break, jim and i were talking about tom shoals, guitar player from boston who designed -- >> we went into break with a boston song. >> hal: yes, we did.

tom, the guitar player created all the admit ar technology, the circuit boards, the wiring that actually created his stuff he did that himself and he lives on that technology. that's why they only put out an album every decade because they don't have to. that being said, as we're in the waning moments of this once in a lifetime kind of grouping of the four of us together which i think is lovely, all i want to say is filibuster reform, filibuster reform, filibuster reform filibuster reform. and it looks like harry reid is leaning in that direction. that they will use the 51-vote single vote majority to get things through. if they can't get an agreement on it, the most important one is no secret holds. no anonymous holds. >> if you're going to hold something up, you have to put your name on it. >> hal: if you're going to filibuster, i want to hear from you. you have to talk. if you want to not talk about why you're holding it because you know is politically

untenable or not going to be favorable to your constituency, fine but you have to prove it by reading the phone book or wasting everybody's time reading you know, whatever nonsense -- exactly. read the script to "mr. smith goes to washington" if you want to. let's go to tom in columbus just because that was kind of i think along his point. tom, are you there? >> caller: yeah, i'm here. you stole my thunder. >> hal: i'm sorry. i was trying to give you the nice lead-in but fire away. >> caller: i was just going to say what you just said. if nothing else, they really need to get the udall harkin merkley rules reform package passed because the watered down one is not going to do it. i understand where harry reid is coming from. he wants to maintain what illusion of comedy -- >> hal: that's always the weirdest word. it means comfortable discourse. >> caller: i know he wants to do

that. i know he would really love to see bipartisan support of it. and you know, that's great. but at the end of the day, this has gotta pass because it's the only way that obama has a chance post let's say 2014 of getting his agenda through in the second term. >> hal: excellent point tom. i will go so far as to say i think if you have a chance at comity in the senate, it will come from the fact that having to filibuster means you have to talk. and the chances of you actually having to come to the table with an idea and actually negotiate might be far higher because you can't just stop. >> it would require substance as opposed to just political posturing. i think it is important -- >> hal: did you just say substance on the -- >> "the stephanie miller show" show. [farting sounds] >> hal: i have to erase that. >> get comedy and comity. >> for people who don't

necessarily understand it, the way it works now is you can get the will of the minority to trump the will of the majority by playing games. and if you elected your officials into office because you want them to accomplish something, we've gotta have a system where a handful of people can't hold up the process. that's the way it works now. >> hal: maybe you know this. i'm sure almost everything is available via freedom of information act request if you give it enough time and it's not -- you know, truly classified. but i'm curious to see if you can get -- who put the anonymous holds on what as a freedom of information act. >> that would be interesting. >> hal: what the turnover rate because it is not classified information, would be. if there is and an anonymous hold on a bill, within a matter of days, one would think the freedom of information act would allow you to have information to who does the anonymous hold. we should start a web site going if you're -- if this change does not occur, that's what i'm going to do this year. >> accountability. >> hal: exactly. if you put and an anonymous hold

on something we're going to out you for that. we're talking about a truly representative government. there is no singular, more tyrranical act than stopping a legislative bill that gets the support of the majority but not standing by why you're stopping it. >> i don't understand -- the only reason to do it anonymously is if you know it's not -- >> hal: it will lose or your financial handlers will kick your ass for it. >> that would make sense. >> hal: what's it is. you get a lot of money from a particular lobby. they're paying you to stop those things and unfortunately -- >> your idea ideologically in favor of it, you would stand up for it. >> hal: they do that kind of stuff all the time. there's silly bills on the congress which i don't have any problem with. let's make it national ben & jerry day because they're in my district. i totally -- i have no problem with that. >> i'm going to put and an anonymous hold on that. i'm a breyer's girl.

half that's not and an anonymous hold. you just stated why. got you. >> because i like another brand of mint chocolate chip. how did i do? >> hal: you're going to show up in a tricorn hat dressed as a ben franklin wanna-be or a kentucky militia member at a glenn beck rally and then in the middle of it go i'm here to defend doma, a federal rule against some people i don't like having equal rights simply so i don't phelicky which is bizarre. that's what you need to be protected from is you that don't want to phelicky. or your solution to gun violence is not high-capacity magazines which have nothing to do with shooting. have everything to do with being a human pipe bomb. when you have a high-capacity magazine, the goal is not shooting. it is spraying. >> you don't have to aim at anything. >> hal: not at all. that's the point of it. any responsible gun owner knows

if you can't hit what you're shooting at in nine shots i don't want you living next to me. three shots really. but if there are intruders in your home and there's more than six of them, they're probably armed and coming to get you for a good reason and most people who are arguing for high-capacity magazines are planning on killing a cop in the future. >> whenever there is deer season like in wisconsin or michigan, everybody including their pets has to wear orange vests because these guys are just -- >> randomly shooting. >> hal: two guys with ak-47s riddling a subdivision with bullets. this 9-year-old girl finds a bullet in her microwave because these guys thought it would be fine because they were shooting at a downward angle. they're uphill from this place and the bullets are skipping off the ground and going into the houses. putting holes big enough in the house to enter the house. but for the luck of the draw, no pun intended, that young girl wasn't between that bullet and the microway in her own kitchen.

>> sounds like these guys need a hobby that doesn't involve shooting into the ground. >> hal: they were also drinking and doing pot. i'm actually for legalization of marijuana. i think you should have the right to be drunk in your own home but you don't mix it with shooting a gun. if you have a history of getting drunk, having drugs and shooting your gun at the same time then that should affect your background check in the future. that's a common sense approach that the president was talking about in those situations. but going forward this is interesting. i want to request that everybody, after the show today find some way to either contact their senatorial representative or harry reid's office or both. >> yep. >> hal: insist -- >> go to senate.gov to find out how. >> hal: go to senate.gov and find out whom and how to contact to let them know you want a verbal filibuster. i'm not just saying this because

i, as someone in the news-oriented punditry with a radio show and an occasional visit to this show on wednesdays. i would get tons of free audio clips out of jerk-headed weirdos trying to defend the most egregious bills by jabbering nonsense for hours on the senate floor. that, i mean -- that's just comedy gold. >> it would make them rethink whatever it is they do because they think -- they're lazy. do i really have to stand up there and talk? >> mitch mcconnell filibuster. [snoring] >> lettuce. somebody poke holes in my jar. >> hal: steph will be back tomorrow. >> so much fun. yea to hal. >> hal: it was a lovely hump day. >> we've been humped. >> hal: have a great hump day. that's what i say. that's my only other thought for you. have a great hump day. you know what i mean by that. bye.